


The Top Shelf: Martha Washington

by OscarthegrouchILOVETRASH



Category: American Revolution RPF, Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Gratuitous lifestyle porn is gratuitous, Into The Gloss, Lifestyle porn is a pain in the ass to write, Makeup, QPQVerse, Skincare, fashion - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-30 21:01:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6440506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OscarthegrouchILOVETRASH/pseuds/OscarthegrouchILOVETRASH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noted beauty website Into The Gloss (intothegloss.com) interviews Martha Washington as part of their The Top Shelf Series. </p><p>Part lifestyle porn, part "I am a normal who shops at Target" campaign-trail image-building.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Top Shelf: Martha Washington

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rillrill](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rillrill/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Quid Pro Quo](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5880157) by [rillrill](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rillrill/pseuds/rillrill). 



> Part of the QPQverse, timeline is during George Washington's presidential campaign.

 

I grew up on my family's estate just outside of Richmond, Virginia. I was always interested in money and numbers, even from a young age. I'd follow my father around, spend lots of time looking over his shoulder when he was working in his office. 

I had my own subscription to the Wall Street Journal, invested birthday money, all of that. I'm very lucky that my family was so supportive and encouraging. 

I grew up with Daniel Parke Custis. Our families were close, and I got married quite young. But we were in love, and looking back, I don't regret a thing. 

I went to Duke for both my undergrad and my MBA. My college experience was a little different than a lot of my classmates; I was married and raising children with a full-time courseload, which doesn't leave a lot of time for partying. It was a challenge, but I was also managing our household finances at the time, which gave me plenty of real-world experience. 

I met George at Duke. He was very friendly, but reserved at the same time. We all hung out,  classmates called us “The Virginians”. George was very quiet about his background, he didn't want favors or special treatment. We kept in touch when he enlisted and went to Kuwait. He'd send postcards for the kids, things like that. 

Losing Daniel was devastating. George had returned from Kuwait by then, and he just stepped up to help without a moment’s hesitation. Everything blossomed organically; his priority was looking after my well-being and helping with the children, and falling in love just happened after that. I've been incredibly lucky. 

I met Lawrence Washington through George, and he brought me on to Mount Vernon Capital. Now I'm the CFO. Balancing my duties at MVC with going out on the campaign trail is a challenge, but I love it.

 

STYLE 

 

If I have to fuss over it, or fidget with it, I don't wear it. I don't do trendy things or lots of embellishments. I like solid colors and clean lines, lots of white, navy, red, and black (but not worn all at once). I like gold jewelry. I keep all my outfits organized in my closet so I don't have to think about what goes with what. 

 

WELLNESS 

 

I wouldn't be able to handle all of my commitments without a healthy lifestyle. I do a lot of yoga and pilates, and I love running. Nutrition-wise, I try to focus on eating a plant-based diet and eating mostly whole foods. However, there's always plenty of business lunches and eating out at campaign stops, and I just try to focus on balance. When I'm at home, I love making my own juices and smoothies, but when traveling I just try to focus on drinking lots of water and tea. I don't care for the prepackaged juices because they're so high in added sugars. I also do meditation and mindfullness because those help keep me balanced when everything around me is a whirlwind. 

George loves landscaping and botany. He does a lot of work on the grounds of Mount Vernon. We grow lots of different fruit trees, and heirloom vegetables. I picked out a lot of plants known to attract honeybees, and we have beehives as well. Virginia has a lot of farming and agriculture, so increasing honeybee populations is very important to me. And the honey makes for the best gifts. 

 

SKINCARE 

 

Every morning, I start off doing a facial massage with  **The Organic Pharmacy Carrot Butter Cleanser** ,which really helps with circulation and removing tension. I wipe that off with a soft cloth and then I apply  **SK-II Facial Treatment Essence** . After that, I'll do a serum or an oil.  **Linda Rodin Olio Lusso** is great. For sun protection, I'll use  **Armani Maestro UV Skin Defense Primer** . It works great under makeup and doesn't feel greasy. 

At night, I'll use the carrot butter cleanser and  **Bioderma** to remove makeup. Then  **Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate** mixed with  **Charlotte Tillbury Magic Night Cream.**

I have mini sizes of things for travel, or I'll stop by Target. I love Pixi’s skincare stuff, their  **Rose Oil Blend** is really nice. 

Plane travel really dries me out, so I'll pack  **SK-II** sheet masks for long flights. I always travel with a travel size of the  **Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist** , it hydrates really nicely and gives me a nice glow. The  **Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask** is another favorite if I've been flying or traveling, it's very plumping and brightening. 

When I'm home, I love using raw manuka honey as a face mask, but it's a little messy and not great for travel. 

I have a great dermatologist, his background is in pediatric skincare and worked in burn units, he doesn't have an Instagram or do gimmicky procedures. He's all about the science of skincare, and he's good at suggesting products and ingredients to look for. 

 

MAKEUP 

 

Right now, I'm doing so many public appearances that I'm not doing my own makeup most days--which isn't a bad problem to have, of course. My makeup is very much like my clothes: I'll do a signature look and maybe tweak it a little, but I don't do anything flashy or dramatic. All of that strobing and contouring stuff looks really off-putting in person, and doesn't always photograph well. 

For foundation, it's  **Armani Luminous Silk Foundation** or  **BlackUp Cream To Powder Foundation.** When I'm not at work or at a campaign even, I'll just put on some  **Iman Cosmetics BB Cream** or  **Shea Moisture CC Cream** . My favorite concealer is  **Cle De Peau Concealer** , or  **Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer. Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer** is the best bronzer. My favorite blushes are from BlackUp. For brows, I love the  **Sephora Brow Pencil** and  **Glossier Boy Brow** .

I don't do false lashes when I'm doing my own makeup, I'll just do a few coats of  **Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara.**

My favorite lipsticks are  **Chanel** and  **Nars Audacious.** I mostly do nudes or browns, but I'll do a red lip for a special event. The  **Christian Louboutin Rouge Louboutin Velvet Matte Lipstick** is a gorgeous shade of red. It's very expensive and extravagant, but the packaging is gorgeous and they make great gifts. 

 

HAIR

 

Johnny Wright is my hairstylist. We met on a shoot for  _ Essence _ a few years back and we really hit it off, and I've been working with him ever since. I've been natural for a while, so taking good care of my hair and preventing heat damage are very important to me. I love  **Shea Moisture** , especially the whole Manuka Honey line. The  **Oribe** heat protectants are a godsend when Johnny is flat-ironing. I try to have one day off a week where I can deep-condition and do nothing to my hair. There's this subscription box service called  **COCOTIQUE** that I really enjoy, it's different haircare and makeup products that are sent to you. I love trying new products but don't have a lot of time to shop around, so the box services are so helpful. 

 

FRAGRANCE 

 

My perfume is  **Guerlain Shalimar** , it's been my signature scent since my twenties. I've never been one to change it or try something different, it just works so well with my body chemistry. People recognize me from my fragrance whenever I walk into a room. That's a powerful feeling. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Johnny Wright is Michelle Obama's hairstylist. 
> 
> The dermatologist description is based off Dita Von Teese's ITG interview. 
> 
> Martha totally gifted that Louboutin lipstick to Eliza.


End file.
